March Uniform of the Month - 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment

A 507th Easy Company paratrooper points off into the distance near Nebraska's Alliance Army Air Base. 

This month's uniform is a further examination of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment which was featured in September 2013.  The 507th was activated on July 20, 1942 at Fort Benning, Georgia. Lieutenant Colonel George V. Millett Jr. was given command of the regiment. After jump training at Fort Benning the regiment moved to Alabama for 22 weeks of advanced training.  The 507th took part in maneuvers at Barksdale Air Base in Shreveport, Louisiana on March 7, 1943 and then they headed west.  Their train arrived at Alliance, Nebraska on March 20, 1943 where the 507th was to be stationed at the Alliance Army Air Base as part of the 1st Airborne Brigade. On Sunday, April 4, the 507th performed a tactical jump and paraded before 20,000 spectators in Alliance.  It was considered by many local citizens to be the largest gathering ever to take place in the city.  The 507th was stationed at Alliance from March through October 1943 making demonstration jumps at Denver, Omaha and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Many period photos from their time at Alliance show that the men of the 507th wore the one-piece HBT Overalls just about as often as they wore their M-42 Jumpsuits.  This uniform is intended to depict what they would have typically worn on a training day out on the open prairie.  Look for more featured 507th uniforms to come in June and July 2014.

Our trooper wears the one-piece Herringbone Twill Overalls often worn by mechanics as a working suit.  

The trusty M-1910 T-Handle Shovel hangs from the trooper's Cartridge Belt on his right hip. 

The M-1936 Musette Bag was favored by Airborne troops over the M-1928 Haversack.

Slung under the left arm is the early war M2A2 Gas Mask in the MIVA1 bag.

Our Easy Company trooper takes a drink from his M-1910 Canteen with an aluminum body and cap.

The regimental patch of the 507th Parachute Infantry featured a fearsome jumping spider holding a lightning bolt and lit bomb.

The helmet worn here is the Parachutist's M2 Helmet with its round chinstrap loops welded to the helmet shell.

This trooper crouches to fire his semi-automatic M1 Rifle which could quickly pump out 8 rounds of .30-06 ammunition. 

March in Nebraska can still be quite cold on the open prairie, so a M-1941 Field Jacket comes in handy.

Scanning the horizon near Alliance, Nebraska.  Note the Parachute Cap Patch on his wool Overseas Cap.